Madison times. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1884-1???, 1887-07-09
TRIP TO MOROCCO.
Details of an Overland Journey from
the Seacoast to tho Capital.

A letter from Morocco to The Lon
don Times says: In countries where
the residence of the court is far remov,
ed from the haunts of civilization. the
Journeys of the ministers to visit the
ruling sovereign assume much more
important features than when, as in
Europe, few hours. or at the most
few DAYS, will take one to ones dcStin-
alton. Nor is there any country IN the
world in which this is better !liustrai-
ed than in Morocco. People WIG are
used only TO the means of travelling
common TO Europe can hs"c no idea OF
the preparations necessary for iOGr-
ney which can only be accomplished
by living in camp and by travelling
all the road on horse back. First there
are letters 10 write TO the sultan,
whose work il is to convey in safety
the party from whatever part OF the
coast they land at TO the capital, sup
ply beasts of burden, horses, tents, and
provisions TO a certain extent, though
the amount of stores that have TO be
brought from Tang;er itself is, to Il
mind as little used to housekeeping as
mine, prepOsterous.
Though it had been the intention of
the ministers to leave Tang er on the
Thursday before Good Friday, it was
not till the following Saturday that we
got of, owing to stress of weather. Her
majesty's ship Curlcw had been lying
three DAYS in the bay when, on Satur-
dav, April 9. we embarked, and short
w after midday steamed out of the
straits of Gibraltar. Early next NOR
ming we sighted Mazaghan, our port
of destination. seaport town on the
west coast of Morocco. As we entered
the bay there was as much saluting Is
there had been when We left Tangirr
and it was amidst the deafenjng roar
of cannon and their binding smohe
that we were rOwed ashore. On the
jetty the bascha, or governor of the
town, met the minister with military
honors, band PLAYING some native ar
abominably out of time. The sight
was gay one, the whole town turning
out to see the show, even the city walls
were crowded with gayly dressed
Moors and white robed women. After
tasting OF the hospitality of Nh. AMI
Mrs. Redman, the vice consul and his
wife, we left the town for our camp,
: set some three weeks before by the
emperor to owait rs. Nothing could
be more picturesque than a row of
Moorish tents pitched on the beach
with the attendants and escorts camp
behind, gay with gorgeously trapped
horses and mules. while camels walked
here there amongst the tents with
their slow, patient tread.
The next morning we started, leaving
Mazaghan about noon with our camp
and escort, the latter consisting of some
three or four hundred soldiers. all
mounted, and some hundred infantry.
This number consisted partly of our
permanent escort, whose duty it was 10
take us to Morocco itself, and partly of
men furnished by the governor of the
district. The work now became of a
routine character. At o'clock we
rose, though it was generally near
before we got to horse and started on
our days march. The tents were taken
down and packed as soon as we had
left them, and sent on ahead of us on
mules, merely the breakfast tent bein Q
left for our accommodation. Our escort
changed, except for the permanent
soldiers in every new district we enter
ed--formed in double line. down
which we rode, the soldiers closing in
behind. After about three hours ride
we stopped for luncheon, a tent having
been sent on for that purpose early IN
the morning. Here we usually rested
some time, riding on into our camp in
the cool of the afternoon, the tents and
baggage having passed us while at
lunch, and so our travelling was easy
and light work. except for occasional
heat and continual dust. On cur ar
rival we had tea. if mlk-a luxury in
these parts-was procurable. About
8 we dined, and dined excellently, the
French cook soon falling into the way
OF cooking in tent with charcoal
fire. Perhaps the greatest amusement
OF the day was the powder play, the one
military maneuver of the Moorish cav
airy. Twelve. sometimes twenty of the
Moors would form themselves in line,
put their horses into quiet canter till
they got opposite us. salute, waYe their
long-barreled fantastic guns over their
heads. change from a canter to a fur
Gus gallop, fire at some supposed OBJ
5ecL and suddenly stop. To see the
horses goaded on by the cruel Moorish
spur, straining every nerve in the wild
Yace with THAR saddles of rod c,oIJ -,
some lovely eastern shade of blue OF
pink, and the riders long white haiks
Tying in the wind behind them, was d
striking and picturesque sight.
On the last day but one of our march
We obtained our first view of the great
Atlas mountains. We had been climb
ing narrow mountain pass for some
hours, relief after the dusty plain
that up till now we had been travelling
over, when, on reaching the summit,
we saw the great mountains and the
plain stretched out before us, Morocco
half hidden in its grove of palm trees.
II was lovely sight, the green below
and the snow-peaks above, the nearer
mountains brilliant blue in the clear.
bright daylight We stopped some
time and gazed. One could scarcely
realize that one was looking upon the
great peaks of the Atlas range, rearing
their heads some thirteen or fourteen
thousand feet into the sky, the back
bone. so to speak. of Africa. the barrier
that divides the wild tribes o
the Sus and Sahara from the Moors
What strikes one first about the rang,
Gs that all tha nsaLs ne far M d.,